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DEAR BRUCE #3

Thanks for your nice email today. While I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a personal note, I do have a few comments I wanted to bring up.

“The wait is almost over for one of the biggest albums of the year!”

Now, I can’t think you actually believe this. Was Landau looking over your shoulder at that moment? You and I both know that Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah will likely outsell THE SEEGER SESSIONS. In fact, I think that Harry and The Potters will sell more records on tour than you will of this one.

“Don’t forget you can also pre-order blah blah blah blah and for a limited time and while supplies last, get a collectable Springsteen poster as a FREE GIFT! For all those who can’t wait to get their hands on it, here’s a preview of the poster featuring a great photo of Bruce and The Seeger Sessions Band.”

Um, Bruce. Have you seen this poster? I know you must have. And I know that you have this proud tradition of your merchandise looking like crap. But, still. This is supposed to incent us to buy the record at full price from Sony?

Yeah. That image of LaBamba holding the trombone next to you is getting me hot. Let me go get my credit card out now.

“one of the most original albums ever to be released”

You know, I’m all for people giving themselves credit and patting themselves on the back. In fact, I think we as a culture don’t do that enough. But, dude, this album is something you started working on in 1998, and I’m sorry, but you covering Pete Seeger is not that much of a stretch. Even the fans who were surprised by your “sudden” political leanings in 2004 probably picked up on the fact that you dig the folk music.

Now, if you got Social D or the Supersuckers or Charlie Sexton and put a band together… I’m sorry, I’ll stop. I know you are tired of hearing about this from me.

“We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions” features Bruce’s personal interpretations of thirteen traditional songs, all of them associated with the legendary guiding light of American folk music, Pete Seeger, for whom the album is named.” [emphasis mine]

While I don’t disagree that you need to spell this out for a lot of people, the ones who are actually going to be spending money to buy this record ARE ALREADY GOING TO KNOW WHO THE DUDE IS. The ones who don’t know who Pete Seeger is
1) don’t care
2) aren’t going to start caring now
3) are still going to show up at the shows wondering if Clarence will be there and
3a) will spend the entire show praying that you’ll slip in a version of “Rosalita”
4) AREN’T GOING TO BUY THE FUCKING RECORD.

But, you know, I could be proved wrong on this.

While I’m here, let me just mention this: $95 ticket prices? NINETY-FIVE FUCKING DOLLARS? I know, the fanatics are going to pay it and pretend that they love it and that this is the most exciting tour ever, but these are the same people that follow you, Patti and your daughter to her equestrian competitions and take pictures of your wife’s ass to post on the internet, or the ones who pretend to know what you are thinking (like the ones who think it’s okay if they listen to your closed rehearsals, as long as no one else does). But there aren’t that many of those crazy motherfuckers to keep this tour going. So, might want to think about that a little.